


The World in Gonna Roll Me

by anactualforrealadult



Series: All Star verse [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bakoda wedding, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Fluff and Angst, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Making Zuko cry hours, Multi, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Pre-Zukka, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko only listens to the mountain goats i dont make the rules, bonding over disabilities, both toph and zuko got Bad therapy as kids, the beifongs kind of suck too, theres some pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:55:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26226004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anactualforrealadult/pseuds/anactualforrealadult
Summary: “Your dads…they’re inviting me to their wedding?  Why?”Sokka smiled.  “Because they think you’re neat!  It’s just going to be a small informal affair, close friends and family.  Dad did the big wedding with Mom, and Bato never wanted one, so we’re just going to rent a beach house for a long weekend in May.”Zuko gets invited to Bato and Hakoda's wedding.  He's a bit confused, but the gang makes him feel more included than he expected.
Relationships: Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Zuko/people who love him, minor Kataang - Relationship, minor Suki/Sokka
Series: All Star verse [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1900495
Comments: 43
Kudos: 249





	The World in Gonna Roll Me

**Author's Note:**

> It's make Zuko cry hours. Also the inherent love that comes with Bakoda

Zuko was very sure that he would never get used to the cold of New Jersey winters. While Sokka complained that they hadn’t even gotten “real snow” yet before winter break, Zuko was already searching the internet for thermal undergarments and flannel sheets. The brief return to California helped to thaw Zuko out for a short time, but now he was back in this frozen popsicle of a state for the new semester. He shuddered when he saw his breath puff out like smoke as he brought his suitcase to the dorm. The creaky old building brought some relief, but he knew that he would still be sleeping under a mountain of blankets. He thought wistfully of the electric blanket he had purchased the month before and how it was waiting for him upstairs. Unfortunately, when he got to the room, he found that his roommate was already there waiting for him, sprawled on the floor. There was no way Sokka would let him fall asleep at 8 pm on a Saturday.

“Finally! About time you got here, I thought I was going to die of boredom and the cleaning staff were going to have to scrape my lifeless hull off the floor.”

“And you call me a drama queen.” Zuko heaved his suitcase on the bed, figuring he might as well unpack if he wasn’t going to be allowed to sleep.

“Well besides dying of boredom, I have something I’ve been wanting to give you and I was about to lose my mind with excitement.” Sokka flailed his arm, reaching for something on his bed. Crying out in triumph, he flung the object over at Zuko. He didn’t catch it and floundered at the sudden attack. The object was a small light blue envelope, with Zuko’s name written neatly on the front. It certainly wasn’t Sokka’s chicken scratch handwriting. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the boy still on the floor, who was beaming with excitement.

The envelope contained one single piece of photo paper, a picture of two middle aged men smiling on the beach, and writing on the bottom. It was an invitation. A wedding invitation.

Sokka finally crawled from his spot on the floor and pulled himself on to Zuko’s bed. The California native didn’t react, even when Sokka turned on the electric blanket and stretched out to enjoy it, shoving the suitcase to the end of the bed. Finally, Sokka pulled Zuko down on the bed, poking the boy until he finally looked at his roommate.

“Your dads…they’re inviting me to their wedding? Why?”

Sokka smiled. “Because they think you’re neat! It’s just going to be a small informal affair, close friends and family. Dad did the big wedding with Mom, and Bato never wanted one, so we’re just going to rent a beach house for a long weekend in May.”

Zuko couldn’t figure out the reasoning behind renting a beach house when the family already lived mere blocks from the ocean, but his mind was already moving on a different track. “But you just said it’s close friends and family only, I’m neither of those! They really don’t expect me to go do they?” He went back to staring at the invitation. The two men looked so happy. “Did you put them up to this? I know you keep saying I need to get out more, but this is really a bit much, I don’t want to intrude on something so important.”

“I didn’t put them up to this dumbass,” Sokka rolled his eyes. “They asked _me_ if it was ok to invite you! The only reason you are getting a hand delivered invite is because I didn’t actually know your address. They gave me shit about it for weeks.”

Zuko could feel tears starting to form behind his eyes, although he wasn’t sure why. Getting a wedding invitation was no reason to get emotional. He needed to pull himself together and stop being so weak. The tears were banished with great effort, but Zuko couldn’t stop his voice from breaking slightly. “But…why?”

His attempts to keep his tears at bay must not have been fully successful, because the next thing he knew, Sokka’s thumb was wiping across his cheek. Zuko looked over suddenly, meeting Sokka’s sad smile.

“Hey…dumbass…” Sokka sat up from his lounged position and moved to take Zuko into a crushing hug. “ I know you have ridiculous self-loathing tendencies, but have you considered that we are close friends? Like, I know we’ve only known each other for three months, but you’re one of my best friends ok? And my dads really do like you, they’re suckers for kids with shitty backstories.”

Zuko was doing his best to seem unaffected and resisting the physical affection, but his body decided to rebel. He was leaning into Sokka’s shoulder, and gently wrapped his arms around his roommate’s waist. “Is that what I am, a kid with a shitty backstory?” God, why was Sokka so good at hugging? Zuko hates hugs. Allegedly. But this deep pressure was really something.

Sokka gave his friend another squeeze. “I mean absolutely you are, but you’re also someone who desperately tries to hide his squishy soft nice person self under a terribly constructed hard exterior. And my dads are really good at fixing rough DIY projects.” Zuko laughed into his friend’s shoulder, barely registering the tears soaking into the shirt. “They really do like you, Zuko. Promise you’ll at least think about coming?”

Zuko pulled back and nodded. “Yeah…sure…”

“Excellent.” Sokka finally released Zuko from the tight circle of his arms and pushed him flat on the bed, throwing the electric blanket over him. “Now you get your ridiculously cold body warmed up and then we can discuss the wedding dress code over a rousing viewing of Shrek.”

“Shuttup.” Zuko burrowed deep into the blanket and kicked his shoes off. It was a weird feeling, but he finally felt like he was back home.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The cold finally gave way to a mild spring warmth, but Zuko still wore layers on the beach, despite Sokka’s teasing. It was a few days before the wedding, and Sokka and Katara had been allowed to have use of the rented beach house while Hakoda and Bato were kidnapped for a party with friends. Zuko finally had the opportunity to meet the full gang, and he had to admit that it felt like having real friends for the first time, and it was a feeling he wouldn’t mind having for the rest of his life. 

He was also starting to understand what Sokka had meant when he said his dads liked caring for children who needed a bit of extra care. Apparently, they had met Aang when he was twelve years old, bouncing around the foster system, beyond the age when most would get adopted. His guardians had decided to sign him up for a mentorship program at school, where Hakoda regularly volunteered. By the end of the school year, Aang was getting ready to settle in with an old friend of Bato’s, who was just waiting for their day in court to formalize the adoption. Toph was a similar story, they met her the following summer. She had been homeschooled her whole life, her parents feeling that she would never be able to keep up in a regular school. Finally, her parents relented and let her apply for a seeing eye dog. The Kannak-Irniq family had been training guide dogs since Kya had died, a way to help the kids work through their loss. They got to spend a week with Toph at The Seeing Eye training center to teach her how to work with Badger. By the end of the week, she was practically part of the family. The dads worked with the Beifongs to convince them to relax some of their grasp on Toph, especially now that she had more independence. Her parents were still very hesitant to let her do much, but they did allow her to spend weekends away in Asbury Park, and if Hakoda and Bato let her run around town with their kids, no one was the wiser.

Zuko actually knew Suki already, since she had Sokka had started dating a few months back. She came over to hang out frequently, living nearby at Rutgers. Apparently, she and Sokka had known each other since middle school, both of them enrolled in karate lessons. Sokka had needed a productive outlet for some of his extra energy, and Suki was being sent to channel her anger at her parent’s divorce. It was a messy one, and the Kannak-Irniq house was a safe space for her, filled with the smells of home cooking and a rotating cast of Good Dogs. Suki and Sokka had danced around each other for a bit, and no one was surprised when they finally got together. Zuko liked her, he had done martial arts as a kid as well, but more importantly Suki was the most genuine person he had ever met. When she said he wasn’t stupid, or that she thought he was a good person, he couldn’t help but believe her. It was possible that he was the tiniest bit jealous of her being with Sokka (because they are just good friends, not because he has a stupid crush, absolutely not), but he was glad his friend has such a good person as a girlfriend.

Zuko was huddled under a comforter he had dragged out of the house while he watched Sokka, Katara, Suki, and Aang play frisbee near the cold waves. The sun was close to setting, and Zuko had been put on seagull watch duty, keeping the sea rats from stealing the remaining slices of pizza next to him. Aang’s fluffy white dog, Appa, had been assisting in the endeavor, but was now napping in the sand.

“Can I sit with you?”

Zuko looked up, noticing that the petite blind girl had returned from a trip to the house, bringing her own blanket. Badger had already decided that he was staying with Zuko, and settled down to cuddle on top of Appa.

“Um, yeah sure.” He shuffled over on the beach quilt and was surprised that Toph sat directly next to him, shoulder to shoulder. It was fine when Sokka or Suki did it, he was used to them, but he could feel his body tense as this new person came so close into his space.

“So, Sparky,” Toph finally spoke. “Sokka tells me you’ve got shit eyes too.”

The name caught Zuko off guard. “Sparky?”

Toph shrugged. “From what the new love birds tell me, it’s a fitting nickname. And you’re part of the gang now, so you need a nickname. So what’s the deal with your peepers? Mine have been like this since I was born.”

Zuko was sure if he thought too hard about “being part of the gang” he would burst into tears, and he wasn’t ready to do that in front of someone who could be a new friend. “It’s just my left eye, I was in an accident when I was thirteen. Burned half my face off. I can make out light and darkness and some shadows, but that’s about it. Can barely hear for shit out of the ear though.”

Toph nodded. “Sokka also mentioned that we might have something in common in terms of parents reacting to our disabilities. Mine have treated me like a baby my whole life, not trusting me to handle myself. You can’t imagine what it took to get them to agree to Badger.” The dog peeked up from his nap at the sound of his name, a dumb smile on his face with his tongue hanging out. He shuffled over to his owner and put his head in her lap, resuming his nap. 

Zuko couldn’t help but smile. He was more of a cat person, but sometimes he craved the undying affection only a dog can bring. “Yeah I guess so. My dad was always the opposite though, he felt that I was using my disability as an excuse. He would yell at me for not listening to him, or being clumsy. I wasn’t able to get a hearing aid until halfway through high school. And that was only because he forced me to join the cross country team, and they required a physical. Doctor gave him physical evidence that my hearing was busted, and that was what finally convinced him.” He paused for a moment, looking over at sleeping Badger. “Is-is it ok if I pet him? I know you’re not supposed to pet working dogs, but I can’t resist asking.”

“Oh it’s cool, he’s off duty right now. Give me your hand.” Zuko barely had time to react before Toph grabbed his wrist and brought it to the dog’s head. “He likes scratches behind his ears the best.” Zuko complied and was rewarded in the form of Badger switching his head to the boy’s lap.

“That’s sounds like a rough time, Sparky.” Toph continued after a moment. “I don’t know about you, but I spent a lot of years being angry. Angry at my parents for holding me back, angry at myself for being broken in the first place, angry at the world for pitying me. My parents tried sending me to therapy, but it wasn’t a good fit.”

“Jeeze I wish my dad had just sent me to therapy.” Zuko stared up at the darkening sky, hand still on Badger’s head. “He just sent me to this ‘spiritual advisor’ from his favorite mega-church. Probably would have gotten kicked out of therapy school if he tried any of that shit outside the church walls. Thank God I knew to keep my mouth shut about being gay, he probably would have sent me to a place to beat the gay out of me.”

“Dude! What a mood! I never technically came out to my parents, just kept casually mentioning what a big lesbo I am. I don’t think they care much, only because they don’t see it as a threat. After all, where is their poor blind daughter going to meet hot girls to make out with?” She flashed an evil smile at Zuko. “Hanging out with my adopted family that’s where. Suki has snuck me into a bunch of gay bars near Rutgers, and I have succeeded to kissing quite a few ladies if I do say so myself.” 

Zuko laughed as she puffed her chest out with pride. “So if therapy didn’t work, how did you manage to chill out your anger? Unless you are secretly hiding another side of you that I should be scared of.”

“Badger helped a bit, having something to care for and having more independence. Plus, I got really into music thanks to Sokka. Lots of punk and emo rock. My first real concert was for MCR, Bato took me as birthday present. He told my parents we were going to see an orchestra.”

“Music helped me a lot too.” Zuko admitted. “A lot of the same stuff. But a lot of my anger dissipated when I was doing track. Don’t get me wrong, I hated that my dad was making me do it, but it also meant I got hours alone to pump out my feelings. I didn’t feel like I needed such angry hard music anymore.” Toph raised her eyebrow, and Zuko was quick to amend the statement. “Don’t get me wrong, I still love their stuff and I absolutely have tickets to Fall Out Boy’s tour this summer, but I needed something different as I worked through some shit.”

Toph seemed to accept the response. “So what do you listen to now?”

Zuko blushed. “Have you ever heard of The Mountain Goats?”

The two couples returned from their frisbee tossing to find a brightly smiling Zuko lying on the quilt and a softly crying Toph sprawled next to him. Badger appeared to be concerned about his owner, but not enough to move his body off of Zuko’s. Appa was still blissfully asleep. Music was playing from a phone between all the bodies.

“Uhhh Toph, everything ok there?”

“Huh?” Toph sniffed and sat up. “Yeah, everything’s fine I’m just having a spiritual experience. I didn’t realize that the words ‘Hail Satan’ had the power to bring me to tears.”

“John Darnielle is a powerful being.” Zuko pawed around to grab the phone, and started scrolling. “Ok I’ve been trying to give you a taste of the variety the band has to offer, but this one is probably their most famous, and for good reason.” Upbeat piano music started filtering through the phone speaker, with drums and guitar coming in after a moment.

“Introducing Toph to The Mountain Goats?” Sokka raised an eyebrow, recognizing the song.

“It’s very important. I’ll convert you yet.”

“Never said they were bad.” A hand came down to pull Zuko to his feet. “Just said they were an acquired taste.”

“An acquired taste for people who actually have good taste Snoozles.” Toph was bopping her head to the beat as Zuko slowly peeled Bader off his body in order to stand.

“Again, never said I didn’t like them.” Sokka didn’t let go of Zuko’s hand when he stood, instead taking the opportunity to twirl the shorter boy. Zuko blushed, but allowed Sokka to lead him in a stumbling dance. By the end of the song, the whole group was dancing and singing along to the chorus. Zuko had listened to this song on repeat for years, but for the first time, he sang the chorus as a promise, not a threat. He _was_ going to make it through this year. And in this moment, he wasn’t worried about whether or not it was going to kill him to do so.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Zuko cried through the whole wedding, overwhelmed. He never thought he would live to see a gay wedding attended by loving family and friends who were truly happy for the couple. Luckily, most people were crying as well, so Zuko blended in. Sokka had mentioned that the wedding was a long time coming, but Zuko really hadn’t understood how long. Even before their mom’s death, they had been a blended family, Bato parenting as much as the other two. When Kya died, Bato had helped to pick up the slack while Hakoda was mostly useless with grief. They had loved each other long before romantic feelings ever became present, and the devotion just made their love stronger. True partners in everything they did. Zuko wished that he could have the same love someday. 

Sokka made everyone cry again during the laid-back potluck after the ceremony. He talked about how Bato had always been his second dad, even if he never called him that formally. How the man had supported him in everything, kept the family together after Kya’s death, made him feel safe being himself. And now that the fatherhood was legal, Sokka was excited to officially call Bato a name he had wanted to use his whole life: Pops. Zuko had heard Sokka use the name for Bato before, but he could tell how much more weight it held now. He watched the man and his son embrace, and wondered what it would be like to have a parent love him so fiercely.

Suddenly, he felt Toph tug on his arm. He turned to see her smiling at him.

“You know that they’re your dads now too, right?”

Zuko’s breath caught in his throat. “They barely know me. They’ll never feel the way they do about their own kids.” He looked over at the two dads, loving eyes focused on the now bickering siblings.

Toph shrugged. “Yeah, but it’s a close call. They’ve got big arms for a reason. To hold all their kids at once.”

Big, strong arms that never hesitated to hug Zuko, give him a pat on the back. Warm, genuine faces that told him they were happy to see him every time, eagerly listened when he rambled on about his hatred of finance. Everything real parents should be. It seemed impossible that one set of parents had enough love in their hearts to willingly share it with children who weren’t their own. 

Zuko shook the thoughts from his head. He shouldn’t get too attached. College wouldn’t last forever. He and Sokka had agreed to room with each other again, but who was to say of the following year? Once he was gone from their lives, it wouldn’t take them long to forget. 

Music started playing through portable speakers. Zuko watched as each dad took a child and brought them to the open clearing to dance. They looked so happy. Zuko felt Toph lean into his side, Badger resting on his feet under the table. Tension slowly left his body. Maybe he could just enjoy this time while he had it. Parents who loved, friends who cared. 

All the kids ended up in a giant cuddle pile in the living room on the beach house that night, surrounded by blankets and pillows. Not quite comfortable, Zuko ended up on the couch, inches away from Sokka on the floor. He still wasn’t quite asleep, but he could feel the deep darkness tugging at the corners of his mind. The soft padding of feet and hushed whispers brought him back to semi-consciousness, just as he was starting to slip off. The low rumbling tones indicated Hakoda and Bato’s presence, and Zuko peeked one eye open to see the dads surveying the tangled limbs of young adults. Not wanting to be caught staring, he closed his eyes tight again as the two older men started walking away, back behind the couch. He was about to relax back towards sleep, when he felt something cover him. A blanket was being pulled up to his chin, soft and smelling like the ocean. A hand came to rest of Zuko’s head, stroking his hair. After a moment, he felt a soft kiss press on his temple. A whispered goodnight, and then the sound of bare feet walking away and up the stairs. Zuko waited until the house was quiet again to let the tears fall from his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> The two songs mentioned are "The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton" and "This Year" by The Mountain Goats.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRNT69NN1Yc  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuZuvvuspj4
> 
> I am Zuko because I also only listen to The Mountain Goats


End file.
